This patent is related to a U.S. patent application filed concurrently herewith, entitled THERMOFORMED HINGE by inventor PETER G. CARDONA, in which the FIGURES, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS and DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS are identical to that disclosed herein.
This invention relates to a thermoformed hinge, and more particularly to two hinge joints thermoformed from plastic material, which cooperatively work together with a hinge pin to make a hinge.
Metal and plastic hinges have been used in the prior art for connecting two pieces together. A typical example would be a container for holding supplies, food and the like, as might be found on a sailing boat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,396 discloses a continuous plastic hinge, which assembles like a piano hinge. The hinge is machined from rigid plastic, and uses a series of hinge knuckles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,948 shows a hatch and a frame, which might be used on a boat.
A problem in the prior art is method of manufacturing these hinges. Typically, the rigid plastic material is shaped from injection molding.
A general object of the invention is to manufacture a plastic hinge as part of two rigid pieces.
Another object of the invention is a low cost hinge, which is part of two plastic pieces.
According to the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a method for manufacturing a hinge joining two rigid pieces is provided. The hinge comprises a first hinge joint, a second hinge joint and a hinge pin.
The method of manufacturing thermoforms a first hinge joint, which protrudes from a first piece of rigid-plastic material. The first hinge joint has two external surfaces, with each of the two external surfaces parallel to each other. A distance between each of the two external surfaces is defined as a hinge-joint length. The method machines into each of the two external surfaces of the first hinge joint, a hinge hole with a tubular shape.
The method of manufacture thermoforms the second hinge joint, which protrudes from a second piece of rigid plastic material. The second hinge joint has a first protrusion containing a first hollow, and a second protrusion containing a second hollow. A distance between far-end surfaces of the first hollow and the second hollow is defined as a hollow length. A distance between near-end external surfaces of the first protrusion and the second protrusion is defined as a gap length. The gap length approximately is equal to the hinge-joint length such that the first hinge joint fits between the near-end external surfaces of the first protrusion and of the second protrusion.
The method of manufacture machines into each of the near-end external surfaces of the first protrusion and the second protrusion, a keyhole-shaped passage. The hinge pin is inserted in the hinge holes, and the tubular-central portion of the keyhole-shaped passages, so as to pass, aligned, through the hinge hole of each of the two external surfaces of the first hinge joint, and through the tubular central portion of each of the keyhole passages of the second hinge joint. The hinge pin hinges together the first piece and the second piece.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention are set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part are obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention also may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.